MANILA—San Sebastian coach Topex Robinson apparently holds his team to very high standards.
The rookie mentor was far from satisfied after the Stags pulled off an 86-70 rout of the St. Benilde Blazers for their 13th straight win Friday in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena.
“I still can’t see the killer’s instinct,” said Robinson, whose squad led by as many as 28 points before slowing down in the last two quarters.
“There were times when we could have blown them out, but the guys relaxed. We have to treat each game like it’s a playoff game.”
Calvin Abueva bullied his way to 27 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and issued eight assists to lead the Stags, who are two wins from matching their longest winning streak they established two years ago under Ato Agustin. The MVP race leader though also had a team-high nine errors.
With the Stags pinning an eighth loss in 13 games on the Blazers, Letran booked a return trip to the Final Four with five games remaining in its schedule.
The Knights, drawing another big game from Kevin Alas, subdued Lyceum, 88-74, for their seventh consecutive victory that also jacked up their record to 11-2.
Rising to the challenge each time the Pirates threatened, Alas poured a career-best 29 points, including 18 in the second half, and fell one assist short of his season-high assist tally after dishing out 11.
“It feels good. We were in unfamiliar territory last year,” said Letran coach Louie Alas, whose team missed out on the Final Four last season after seven straight appearances in the post season.
The Pirates also found difficulty matching up with the Knights formidable frontline without leading rebounder Allan Santos.
There were conflicting statements on Santos’ absence.
One player in the team claimed that Santos is injured, while Herc Callanta, Lyceum’s representative to the NCAA Management Committee, said the veteran center is suspended indefinitely.
“His performance in recent games is unsettling the team,” said Callanta. “The team is better off without him. We don’t see him coming back any time this season.”
With Gian Mallari finding his stride beyond the arc, the Pirates kept in step with the Knights, 52-50, before Alas presided over a 16-4 blitz to put Letran comfortably ahead heading into the homestretch.
The Knights held the Pirates to just 31 percent shooting with Lyceum’s leading scorer Chris Cayabyab typifying his team’s woes, ending up with a 3-for-13 clip and seven errors.
The scores:
First Game
LETRAN 88—Ke. Alas 29, Dysam 11, Cortes 11, Cruz 8, Kr. Alas 8, Almazan 6, Belorio 5, Racal 4, Espiritu 3, Pantin 2, Lituania 1, Mendoza 0.
LYCEUM 74—Laude 14, Mallari 13, Guevarra 12, Francisco 10, Cayabyab 9, Ko 7, Napiza 6, Lacap 3, Lesmoras 0, Azores 0.
Quarters: 19-17, 41-37, 64-54, 88-74
Second Game
SAN SEBASTIAN 86—Abueva 27, Sangalang 10, Pascual 11, Dela Cruz 11, Maiquez 8, Ferrer 5, Vitug 4, Del Rio 0, Miranda 0, Antipuesto 0.
ST. BENILDE 70—Taha 16, Grey 14, Lastimosa 14, Deles 9, Carlos 5, Sinco 4, Tan 3, Altamirano 2, McCoy 2, Dela Paz 0, Pate 0.
Quarters: 22-13, 45-24, 62-42, 86-70